Royal

I walked into a coffeeshop this morning and a beautiful scene greeted my eyes. A little girl with golden curls was sitting at a table with her father, smiling at him while sharing breakfast. Gently tied around this pretty 5-year-old’s shoulders was a pink silk cape with a golden crown painted on it. She was her daddy’s princess-it was evident in the way he lovingly wiped crumbs off her cheek and in the way she gazed back at him with trust and admiration. She was royal.

This lovely moment reminded me of Psalm 45, “Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord…all glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.” I have always wanted to write a book about a courageous girl who catches the eye of the king of the land with her bravery, humility, and integrity instead of just her outer appearance. This is many a girl’s dream-to be treasured for inner beauty. One of my favorite passages in Scripture is found in 1 Peter 3, “…your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, is of great worth in God’s sight.”

So if we are of great worth in God’s eyes and we are treasured as being royal, why are we still suffering? Why do we feel beaten down and poor? I have taken great hope in Randy Alcorn’s insights lately. On this subject he shares, “God is preparing his children for a job-ruling a redeemed Earth. We’ve all seen what happens to princes and princesses raised in palaces, handed everything they want, having everything their way. They become spoiled and uncaring, poisoned by a spirit of entitlement. They aren’t fit to be servant leaders but only tyrants. God is using our present school of adversity to prepare us to reign with Christ, the Servant King of servant kings. God uses suffering to achieve the glorious transformation of our characters to prepare us for service and joy in the next life.”

I love this! We are being molded and transformed in this short life on earth so that we can rule with Christ in the everlasting kingdom to come! This gives me hope. It gives me purpose. It gives me joy. It helps me trust the King.

To be royal means to be of kingly ancestry. We are the children of the King of Kings! We are royal. We are privileged. We are important. We are loved. May you and I live this week with a new look at the pain that presents itself to us. May we face the suffering and the disappointments and the heartaches with the knowledge that we are being transformed into servant leaders for the kingdom of Jesus through all of it and that we are beautiful in the King’s eyes. All glory be to the Servant King!